Friday, August 19, 2016

For most of my work life I crafted and sold from a front room shop in my house. The radio was either on WGBH, a public radio station, or WUMB, a 100% folky station out of U Mass, Boston. I worked, I listened, I sang. All in concurrent equal measure. Then I moved to my new place. No retail. No interruptions. Almost complete privacy. AND the computer was right there to keep me in touch with my new etsy store. It was just a click to YouTube, another click to discover the endless crime dramas and I was in heaven. Didn't I work better? Didn't it help to be reminded of how lucky I was? Didn't I develop the ability to deliver the Miranda Rights in a way that would impress the most seasoned of cops or perps? (police slang for perpetrator)? But today I crashed into the reality that watching anything is a way of evaporating momentum and focus. So now I begin a process akin to peeling of good quality duck tape from skin. Stay tuned for progress reports.
Blog On!
Leslie

Friday, July 8, 2016

What do recipes, directions and most suggestions have in common? My inability to heed them in general. So here is the gist of how to make these soap hammocks. Basically they are pockets made of fast drying materials like linen or crochet cotton. Make a rectangle that will hold the bar of soap when folded in half. Open designs are best as the airiness allows for quick drainage. The photo on the left is actually gymp which being plastic drains the best. I loved it as a kid and on a trip to Michael's saw the new generation of colors. I had to have some! Seam the sides and add the ties. These are crocheted but "I" chord is a nice choice too.
I am working on a lace knit pocket done in pale pink linen which I will post when it is finished.
Blog On!
Leslie

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Friday, January 29, 2016

The January 15th, 2008 blog by the Yarn Harlot changed my life. I am just being truthful. The blog shows her efforts to inlay the knitted one inch leaf into the toe of The Vintage Sock, an amazing design by the amazing Lisa Grossman. I read that blog post and was drawn in by both the design of the sock and the running description of the process which actually takes up several days of postings. At that time I was a studio jeweler making the usual rings, earrings, bracelets etc. in unusual ways. I had just started doing shawl pins. The Yarn Harlot is describing the laborious, glorious process of lining up the stitches of both the toe hole and the leaf. She is sounding pretty proud until the knitting gets dropped and the slippery, straight needle falls leaving those perfect stitches to their undoing ways. Like a stone skipping on a placid pond my brain goes; slick straight needle, options, won't fall out, curvy necklace! And the cable needle necklace is born. Truthfully the first one looked like a Klingon war weapon. Since then the concept and the design have morphed beyond any projection I could have made. It also set in motion my meeting Lisa a few years later at the MA Sheep and Wool Show which was the start of a too short friendship. All this from reading that blog. Thanks Stephanie! I owe you big time.
Blog On!
Leslie

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About Me

My first introduction to the word. "Craftivist" was a YouTube video by Casey Jenkins,
http://casey-jenkins.com/
which amazed me. I decided to be more visible with my own creativity. i now keep a kit of tools and metal in my car for "public displays of creativity". Sometimes this evolves into a mini lesson. The expression on a person's face when they look for the first time at something they created drives me to continue being more public. When I was younger i felt my creativity was a burden. Now I feel it is the best gift.